


Necessity

by Woofemus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Community: snkkink, Gen, Psycho Pass AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-04
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-28 09:25:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/990403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woofemus/pseuds/Woofemus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Psycho Pass AU. Armin Arlert is the new Inspector chosen by the Sibyl System. He doesn't realize exactly what that entails until it's too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the snkkink prompt: http://snkkink.dreamwidth.org/524.html?thread=327180#cmt327180  
> This fic goes through a _very_ rough and loose timeline through Psycho Pass while also omitting certain scenes so uh, heavy spoilers for Psycho Pass and some terminology being thrown around. 
> 
> I totally edited the hell out of this and maybe added a few things here and there from the original. This was definitely something I had a lot of fun with so I hope you enjoy it as well.

Armin is out of breath by the time he arrives on scene. There's already another Inspector there, standing impatiently with his Dominator in hand. The moment he sees Armin, he deepens his scowl.

"You're late. Sure took your fucking sweet time didn't you?" he immediately says once Armin is within earshot. Armin can't do anything other than just nod his head and apologize. The other man only sighs and looks away. "I know it's your first case and all, but at least try to arrive on time. We're the only ones stopping these cases from blowing over even more you know?" Armin apologizes again, bowing much deeper this time. He hears an impatient cough. He stands up straighter, remembering his manners and introduces himself.

"I am Inspector Armin Arlert! I may be new, but please don't expect anything less out of me!" The other Inspector only gives him a grim smile.

"Well. You've got enthusiasm, I'll give you that." He holds his hand out. "Jean Kirschstein."

 

 

 

 

A large police van pulls up suddenly, tires screeching from the sudden brake. The doors open with a hiss, smoke billowing out onto the street. He can't quite see inside but he hears the slow thud of footsteps. It gives Armin the impression that they've just released monsters. With the incredibly tense way Jean is standing and how his scowl seems to somehow deepen even more, Armin isn't so sure whether the people inside the van are humans anymore.

Four figures walk out, one after another. Already, Armin can tell that something's off about them. The first of them, a woman of short stature with blonde hair swept to one side and the coldest eyes he's ever seen look at him for just a moment but that's all he needs. Immediately he stiffens, paralyzed to the spot. The moment passes when she closes her eyes and looks away as she makes her way to them, her expression one of disinterest and boredom. Armin feels as if his life is shortened by a few several years.

The second person is a large stocky man with blond hair, a confident smile on his face. He feels... entirely different than the woman before him, but there's something about him that Armin can't quite put his finger on, like he's hiding something as well. In contrast to him, the third person is another man with a buzz cut, his grin looking more like playfulness than the brashness of the second man. He's much smaller than the second man and barely taller than the woman. The first two Enforcers leave such an impression on Armin that he makes a note to not underestimate him as well. A fourth person walks out, green eyes narrowed, darting side to side, like a predator scouting for food, a deep frown marring his face. Armin can still recognize it.

He can't help gaping, unsure of whether he should be happy or horrified.

"Eren?"

 

 

 

 

Armin walks cautiously, trying to peer at every nook and cranny even though it's really too dark to see anything. The Dominator feels too large in his hands, the bulky gun seeming a lot heavier than he remembered. It's not training anymore, he's on a real mission, and the two Enforcers walking next to him are proof of that. Eren's eyes are darting around, watching for any slight movement. The other Enforcer, Reiner, still keeps his easy smile, although his body is tense.

They get the call in the next five seconds.

_"I've found him! Taking aim now -- shit! Rolled out of the way at the last second. He'll be coming your way, new Inspector!"_ Connie's voice crackles over their headset.

"Straight ahead!" Reiner shouts, prompting all of them to run. Armin catches sight of him -- and doesn't expect to see a woman's terrified face instead. Their target turns around and seeing that he can't outrun them, pulls a gun on her head. He doesn't notice Eren staying back, hiding within the shadows from the side.

"Stop! If you move, I'll shoot her fucking brains out!" he screams, his body shaking as he glares at them. The woman is shaking her head, sobbing to herself. Armin raises his Dominator despite his shaky hands.

_Crime Coefficient is 242. He is a target for enforcement action. The safety will be released. Switching to Lethal Eliminator Mode. Aim carefully to bring down the target._

The Dominator in his hands abruptly changes form, releasing locks, opening up to expose the hidden fatal weapon underneath. It doesn't feel much heavier than it already does, but Armin can now see how fearsome this weapon of the Sibyl System really is. It's like he's holding a mini-cannon in his hands.

"No! Drop your weapons or I'll kill her!" Armin and Reiner look at each other, Armin's gaze uncertain while Reiner's is still confident.

From the side, Eren only grins and shoots, a thin, metallic blue beam emitting from his Dominator and then it's gone, shot right into the latent criminal. In the next second, Armin sees the man's arm bubbling -- he suddenly implodes in a gruesome rain of flesh and blood, showering over the girl. She shrieks with absolute terror.

Armin slowly lowers his gun, breathing heavily, trying to keep himself from letting loose his dinner.

"What are you doing Inspector? Finish the job." He doesn't know how, but suddenly Annie is next to him, pointing her Dominator at the girl they've saved. She screams incoherent words as she furiously shakes her head. Eren and Reiner don't move, watching them.

_Crime Coefficient is 180. She is a target for enforcement action. Switching to Paralyzer mode. Aim carefully to bring down the target._

"What are you doing?! She's the victim here!" Armin shouts as he stands in between Annie and the woman, holding his arms out. Annie narrows her eyes at him and although his legs feel like they've turned to jelly, he can't let up, not when there's an innocent life behind him. It wasn't her fault she was taken hostage. Her Crime Coefficient is only high because of all the trauma. Why doesn't anyone seem to understand that? A sudden thud makes him turn around.

The woman's running away, her movements jerky, trying to desperately get away from them. Annie makes to follow after her but Armin adamantly stands in her way. Eren is the one who leaps over the railing to chase after her.

"Eren!" Armin takes off after him, clutching his Dominator tightly. Annie doesn't follow them, but she watches Reiner take after them, her eyes still narrowed.

When Armin finds them, Eren's standing in front of the woman who's fallen on the ground, backing away. She's pleading with him, shouting no over and over again but Eren stares at her impassively, raising his Dominator. Armin watches with horror as Eren's Dominator changes to the same Lethal Eliminator mode it was before. "Eren, stop!"

Eren looks up at him -- and Armin feels like he's not entirely looking at Eren, but someone who just looks like Eren, with the way his eyes are dark and burning, no longer the vivid green he remembered. The Enforcer only shrugs before turning his glare back to the woman, finger tightening on the trigger.

Armin raises his Dominator and shoots.

 

 

 

 

Armin sits down on the ground, hiding his face behind his legs. He knows it's a childish reaction, but he doesn't care. He doesn't remember his hands ever shaking this hard, not even when he took the aptitude test. Behind him, they lead the female hostage into the van to be taken to a hospital for injuries and then she'll eventually be transferred into therapy, he hopes. Eren's on a stretcher, being transported back to headquarters for rest.

"Take it easy." Reiner comes over to him with a reassuring smile. Armin knows he's trying to help, but his emotions are thrown everywhere right now. "This is how real missions are."

"Do you think I did the right choice?" Armin asks, even though he doesn't want to know the answer. Or really, he doesn't know if there is one. Reiner speaks in a quiet murmur.

"You're here to command us Enforcers to do what you think needs to be done. We're here to follow your orders. Simple as that."

 

 

 

 

"Is Analyst Hange Zoe here?" Armin calls out when he enters the lab. He immediately notices the pristine cleanness of the table in the room -- and then messiness of the rest of it, papers and books resting everywhere. From one of the piles, a mess of brown hair pokes out.

"Yoohoo! I'm here!" Armin watches with morbid curiosity as she just... stands up and books fall off of her, entirely nonchalant. She blinks at him, once, twice, and then adjusts her glasses. "Whoa! You're someone I haven't seen before! Who are you?"

"I'm Armin Arlert, the new Inspector recently assigned. You... are Hange Zoe correct?"

"I am!" Then she gasps. "Oh! You're the one who shot poor Eren!" She nods sympathetically. "I understand, he's just a little too wild sometimes. Even Jean needs to subdue him too when he goes out of control." Immediately, Armin feels that surge of guilt that he's been trying hard to ignore and he swallows. Hange sits down on the chair in front of the monitors, wheeling it around to face Armin with a reassuring look.

"Don't worry about Eren though, he's waaaaay tougher than he looks!" Armin doesn't like how Hange says that in such a sing-song voice. "Oh, but if you want to talk to him, he's awake now. Kind of disoriented, but awake. Don't keep him up long though, we still need him in one piece!" Hange smiles and waves at him as if dismissing him instead of the other way around and spins around in her chair. Armin decides this is as far as his introduction will go so he takes his leave to find Eren's room.

Eren's sitting up and even with all the drugs, he still has that focused glare he's always had. It softens a little when Armin comes in though. "Armin."

"Eren. Um... sorry for shooting you." Armin apologizes the moment he sits down in the chair. That feeling of guilt never goes away. It still doesn't even when Eren laughs.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I was serious when I told you that if you ever needed to stop me, you're free to shoot me. It's always been up to you to stop me when I went too far." He gives Armin something like a half smile and half grimace. "Seriously though, being shot by one of these is no joke, ugh." Armin only laughs awkwardly and sits down next to his bed.

"... Eren, when did you become an Enforcer?" Armin asks after a momentary silence. Eren only gives him a look that Armin can't quite read. He used to be able to understand Eren, back then. Looking at him now, it's as if Armin is seeing a completely different side of Eren that he's never realized. Or maybe he just didn't want to see it at all. It scares him.

"So how was your first mission as Inspector?" Eren asks instead, looking up at the ceiling. Armin frowns but answers.

"It was... both everything I expected and didn't expect." He shakes his head softly. "I..." He looks away. "It's... tough. But I... I think I can handle it." Armin looks up to see Eren studying him, feeling his sharp gaze is trying to search for something Armin is sure he's not going to find. Finally, after a tense moment, Eren looks away and sinks back into his bed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

"How's Mikasa?" Eren asks so abruptly that Armin stares at him for a bit. "Hey Armin!" He waves a hand in front of Armin's face.

"Right! Um."

Mikasa's working as a florist against the wishes of everyone. She scored so high on her aptitude test, even higher than Armin, that she could have any job she wanted, and threw it all away to follow something that would give her less happiness. Whenever Armin stops by in her store, he catches her staring at her flowers with a whimsical look. Sometimes though, when they both have free time, Armin and her meet up for lunch and he can see the relief Mikasa has when she doesn't have to explain herself to someone. He leaves that part out.

Eren gives a small laugh at that. "Her mom was a florist," he says quietly, his eyes soft. He stops talking then, blinking his eyes rapidly. He's still tired, but it looks like he wants to keep himself awake to keep talking. Armin stands up, helping his friend back to bed. Eren opens his mouth to protest but Armin looks at him sharply. When he speaks, his tone is gentle.

"Rest up Eren. We'll have plenty of time later."

 

 

 

 

Armin's eyes dart around as he searches for their target. It's hard, when there's so many people at the mall and he has to figure out how to identify their target without their Dominators.

"Well? Think you've spotted anyone?" Reiner asks next to him. Although his face is serious, he has an easy-going smile on his face. Armin thinks he's trying to make him feel less tense. He appreciates the gesture.

"I still don't know who exactly I'm supposed to be looking for. How are we supposed to find someone who looks like his Psycho Pass might be needed for evaluation?" Reiner just smiles at him.

"Leave that to me." They stop suddenly when Reiner holds his hand out in front of Armin. "Look, that man over there. He's standing in front of that store."

Other than him looking like a big muscular man with Reiner's stature, he looks just like the other shoppers there, nondescript and plainly uninteresting. "That's our guy."

"Really? How can you tell?"

Reiner taps his nose. "We're hunting dogs and I've got the best nose of the group." They somehow push their way over to the man, two disguised police mascots navigating their way through the crowd.

"Excuse me, could we measure your Psycho-Pass?" Armin asks, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. The man turns around slowly and Armin blinks at the feral look in his eyes. He only has a second to jerk backward and narrowly avoid being knifed. The man bolts, running straight into the crowd of people, inevitable screaming and chaos occurring.

"Shit! Drop disguises and run after him!" Reiner's already cancelled his holo-suit, sprinting after the latent criminal. Armin hurriedly follows after him, trying to keep up as best as he can. The crowd is in chaos now, people running everywhere, running against him, a total mess.

When he arrives where Reiner and the man are, they're locked in arms, with Reiner trying to wrestle the knife away and the man trying to break free. The man suddenly headbutts Reiner, once, twice, causing the Enforcer to loosen his grip and stumble down in surprise. The man is able to push Reiner aside and he runs toward Armin with his knife, charging.

Instinctively he ducks, his short height used to his advantage as the man barely snipes off a few strands of hair. He grabs at the man's legs, bringing him down. Or tries to when the man manages to get a good knee in his face. Armin's reeling on the floor, clutching at his bloody nose that's thankfully not broken but he knows he's going to have the worst bruise on his face later. The latent criminal raises his knife to bring it down.

Armin hears a resounding crack and strange clinks on the floor instead. When he looks up, Annie's standing over him, her arms and leg held in a peculiar pose he's never seen before. Armin blinks, too surprised to do anything. The man is clutching his face, blood dripping like waterfalls as he bleeds from his nose and missing teeth. He's still standing on his feet, though not for long when Annie crouches and sweeps his feet out from under him. He lands with a loud thud on the floor. Annie puts her foot on his chest, stopping him from rising, although he looks too dazed to even be able to do anything.

"Armin!" Armin finds himself looking into concerned golden eyes. Reiner's by his side, helping him up. "You alright?!" Not even waiting for an answer from Armin, Reiner's giving him a look over, patting him a few time, and he gives a sigh of relief, smiling. "I'm glad nothing happened." He slaps Armin on the back lightly. "Sorry he got the better of me. But Annie took care of him. Did you enjoy that Annie?" She turns around to give him a glare. Armin doesn't know how Reiner just laughs it off. "Exciting for a second mission right?"

For a second, Armin forgets that Reiner's an Enforcer, a latent criminal. He smiles back, feeling a little less forced than it did before. "I'm alright, but I could have done without that chase."

Reiner laughs heartily. "You should try working out with me sometime. We'll make you nice and strong. But if there's anything too tough for you to handle, you can always count on me." He says in a reassuring tone. Armin laughs, genuinely this time.

"Are you going to arrest him or not?" Annie calls out, annoyed, from where she's standing. Quickly, Reiner and Armin make their way over to her. Annie only spares a glance at Armin before she gets off, her expression perfectly neutral. Armin thinks he prefers this better than the bloodthirsty look she had on before.

 

 

 

 

"Let me give you some advice. Don't think of the Enforcers as humans." Armin blinks and looks up. It's late at night and everyone else is already gone. He isn't even aware that it got so late. There's no one else in the room except for him and Jean.

"Ex - excuse me?"

"I know you heard me the first time." Jean sighs, shaking his head. "Enforcers are the dogs we use to hunt the things we need. That's it. Don't try to think of them as human."

"But... they're..."

"The moment you think of them as human, you'll be lost just like them. Don't make that mistake." Jean gives him a hard look, as if daring Armin to say otherwise. Armin wants to, but he doesn't know what to say. Jean's already gone before he can get a word in.


	2. Chapter 2

"Some trouble at work?" Armin blinks when he realizes he's been spacing out and looks up to apologize. Mikasa only gives him a knowing look and returns to eating her lunch. "If something is bothering you, I don't mind listening." He immediately opens his mouth to say nothing is, but she gives him another look as if to say _don't even bother_ and returns her attention back to her lunch.

"I... there's..." he swallows and finally gathers his courage. "There's someone at work. I'm... not sure how to deal with them."

"Are they bothering you?" Mikasa's attention turns back to him, her expression both dark and worried. "If they are, I'll -"

"No! Not... like that." Armin furiously shakes his head. She still looks unconvinced. He gives a long sigh instead. "Well... it's more everyone at work. It's... tiring and stressful sometimes. I feel as if I'm not really what everyone expected and I'm kind of just... there. I feel like I'm such a burden on everyone." Mikasa abruptly slams her fork down, getting his attention.

"Armin, don't ever say that. You know that's not what people think about you. You've been a great help to me, and still are," she says and though her expression remains the same, he can see the warmth in her eyes and the tiny smile she reserves for the people she cares about. She gives a small chuckle. "You've always gotten Eren and me out of trouble at least."

 _Eren._ Armin wants to tell her, that Eren's still alive, but he remembers that Eren's an Enforcer, and by proxy a latent criminal. He wonders how Mikasa will react and shakes his head ruefully. It isn't as if he could tell her anyway. He still has a troubled look on his face so she continues talking.

"Armin, when I opened up my flower shop, everyone told me I was stupid, foolish, with some even wondering how my Psycho Pass wasn't clouded from such a decision." She looks down, as if trying to hide within the scarf she always wears. "It really hurt when everyone asked me that, why I wanted to do something I knew would make me happier than anything else." She grabs Armin's hand suddenly, squeezing it.

"So please, don't ever think that the decision _you_ make is a mistake. If what you think you're doing isn't useless, then don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. I'll knock sense into them." Although Armin knows she's joking at the end, she has that _look_ she gets sometimes, especially when either him or Eren were threatened. He feels tears pricking at his eyes from her words.

"Thanks Mikasa." It's all he can manage. If he says any more, he's afraid he'll burst in tears and look even more weak than he already is. Mikasa gives him another of her small smiles and sits back against her chair.

"This world is very cruel, and beautiful at the same time."

 

 

 

 

The next case they handle makes Armin's stomach turn.

"Woooow, plastination on people! What a doozy!" Hange drums her fingers on the keyboard excitedly. "Seems like people are running out of ideas for a normal murder. Ah wait, we had a previous case that was just like this with that Inspector --"

"Plastination?" Jean's suddenly next to the screen, glowering. He's staring at the screen with something like horror and fury, his whole body shaking. Armin is scared that he'll break the monitor before he quickly turns around and storms out the room. For once, Connie doesn't say anything snide and even Reiner looks uncomfortable. The whole room is quiet. Only Armin looks around. He blinks when he sees Eren and feels a shiver run down his spine.

Eren is staring at the screen, as if he'll burn it through. His expression is even more dark than Jean's. He's clenching his fists so tightly that Armin's scared he'll break the skin. He's muttering something under his breath.

"It's him, it's Levi, Levi, _Levi --_ " Surprisingly, Connie grabs Armin's shoulder, shaking his head and gestures to move elsewhere. Before they exit the room, Armin sees Reiner going to Eren, putting his hands on his shoulder.

"You wanna know too don't you?" Connie says when they're finally in another room. He has the look of someone trying to hide a secret, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Then he sighs, his shoulders slumping. "Nah, I shouldn't be acting like this."

"Did something happen before?"

Connie shrugs his shoulders. "To be honest with you, I was only assigned here after the whole thing blew over. I don't know the exact details, but I heard that it was a pretty intense case and the killer was using the same method as the.. plast... plastic..."

"Plastination."

"Whatever that is. The killer was using plastination and as we've seen, it's pretty damn gruesome." Connie has to grimace before he continues. "Eren was actually an Inspector working along with Jean on that case. There was a third-"

"Eren was an Inspector?!" Armin interrupts, gaping at Connie. The Enforcer looks annoyed at being interrupted but he shrugs again.

"You didn't know? Thought he would have told you. Yeah, Eren was an Inspector along with Jean. They were partners."

"Then... how did he become an Enforcer instead?"

"I heard it was from the previous plastination case. There was a third Inspector on the case. I told you it was a pretty crazy case right? So they needed all the help they could get. The third Inspector found a lead but got caught in a trap and ended up being a victim instead. Apparently, Eren got messed up so bad that his Crime Coefficient couldn't recover. I mean... if I saw something like to someone I knew, I think I'd be pretty messed up too." Connie looks away sadly, scratching his neck.

"If I remember right, the third Inspector... his name was Marco."

 

 

 

 

_"Hey, where's Marco? He's not here?"_

_“He said something about getting a lead and then suddenly took off._

_"Are you fucking serious?! You let him run off by himself?! Dammit!"_

_"Wait come back! Things are still dangerous right now!"_

_Marco, you fucking idiot, you are such a fucking idiot. I swear I'm going to – Marco?_

_Marco, who was always there for him. Marco, who always knew what to say. Marco, who always took his shit and stopped him from breaking down. Marco, who always had such a kind and wonderful smile. Marco, who's body is dismembered in half and rearranged and he's both smiling and frowning at him --_

Jean wakes up with a scream.

 

 

 

 

"I take it you've heard about what happened before huh?" Eren asks when they both sit down. Armin tries not to be too obvious about looking around Eren's room. There's nothing really there and it's mostly dark. He tries not to let how the dark lighting makes Eren seem like predator in the waiting bother him.

"I've... heard." Armin says carefully. "You were taken off this case weren't you?"

"... you've also heard that too. Yeah, but I'm not gonna let that stop me, not here, not now." He grins recklessly before his expression turns serious. "I can't let them stop me, not this case."

"I used to be an Inspector. I was working with Jean on that case, along with two others." Eren leans back against the couch, closing his eyes. "What he did to Marco... I'll never forget it." Eren clenches his fists tightly.

"The man behind it? Erd Shin?" Armin is surprised when Eren shakes his head furiously.

"No! Not him! Levi. _Levi._ " he growls out. "Levi was the one behind the whole thing, I _know_ it. Erd Shin couldn't have done everything by himself." He takes a deep breath. "Marco actually managed to tell me something before he ran off. He told me 'Erd Shin isn't the only one! There's someone behind him, helping him. The only thing I could catch was Levi. I'm going to find out more.' It was the last thing he sent to me."

"Armin, when I found Marco... when we found Marco... I never wanted to kill anyone as much as I did that moment. I didn't care that my Psycho Pass was going to become irreversibly damaged. I just wanted to kill Levi, murder him in cold blood. I'll never forgive him for killing Marco." Eren's eyes are flashing. Every instinct in Armin screams danger as Eren looks at him with a snarl. Armin shamefully thinks about bolting from his childhood friend. Finally, Eren calms himself down, coughing into his hands and sighing.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how Jean did it. He and Marco were like brothers to each other, even sharing an apartment together. How he managed to recover enough that his Psycho Pass remained stable... he's a much stronger person than me. I couldn't think past _I need to kill this son of a bitch_ and Jean pulled his shit together to capture Erd Shin while the rest of us couldn't do anything at all." He smiles sadly. He's starting to look more like the Eren of the past, the Eren that Armin knew. It makes him relax a little, despite what happened earlier.

"When my Crime Coefficient went so high it couldn't recover, Jean was so angry. It's like I just betrayed his trust, and he hasn't been able to forgive me. I don't think he's been able to forgive the both of us."

"The... both of you?" Armin blinks. Eren stops to laugh slightly although his tone is still somber.

"Reiner was also an Inspector on the case. His Crime Coefficient went too high, just like me, but I don't know what's up with him. He hangs out a lot more with Annie than me now." He stops talking, shaking his head. "That case ruined all of us, and Levi's come back again. It might be a different killer, but I know he's definitely behind it. I can't mess up this time." He looks at Armin, his gaze impassioned. "I might be unreasonable, but please, I just want to kill this guy. That's all I want. Let me go after this case."

 

 

 

 

"She hasn't come home, and she didn't leave any messages, and no one's say they've seen her -- **Armin where is she?!** " Sasha nearly screams in his ear when he arrives.

"Sasha! Remember, we're talking about _Mikasa._ Please calm down." Although Armin also feels some slight panic too despite his words.

"I know, _I know!_ I mean, Mikasa is really strong and she can take care of herself, but I can't help but be worried. She always tells me if she's going to be home, and she didn't even leave anything, or any messages. Have you seen her at all?" Armin sadly shakes his head.

"No, I haven't, and I need to get back to work, but I promise that I'll find her." Armin puts his hands on Sasha's shoulders, forcing her to look at him despite her taller height. "I swear I'll get her back safe."

 

 

 

 

"You sure I can do this?" Hange looks back at him, her expression the most serious he's ever see. Armin hesitates for just a second before he nods. She pats his head as she's been doing recently and grins widely, snickering to herself as if she's been allowed to hear some dark, ancient secret. She spends the next few minutes typing furiously on her computer. Before long, she has the results of her work.

"Mikasa Ackerman... here's her email account." She brings it up on the screen. Armin has to laugh sheepishly when the first twenty emails are from Sasha asking where she is.

"Could you just look at the most recent email that's not from Sasha?" Armin asks. He feels embarrassed for some reason. Hange complies with his request. Armin stares over her shoulder at the monitor. He has to resist pushing her aside when he catches the contents of the first email she clicks on.

_If you want to know about Eren Jaeger, come to this location._

Before he knows it, he's running out of the room. "Send me the email!" he calls over his shoulder, his goal clear in his mind. Eren. He needs the Enforcer's help. He doesn't see Hange's expression turn troubled and grim.

 

 

 

 

"What? You _lost_ Eren?!" Jean nearly screams at Armin, gritting his teeth so hard that Armin's afraid that if he slips, he'll break his lip instead. "How could you make such a stupid mistake?! Goddammit Armin! What if this whole set-up was a chance for him to run for it!?"

"I... I apologize." Armin says, closing his eyes in frustration and shame. Jean only gives him a disgusted look before going to Reiner.

"Yep, no one can make it through this entrance. It reeks and it's way too dangerous now. You sure Eren went through here?" Reiner comes back up from the passageway Eren was investigating.

"I'm sure. He walked in and suddenly, I heard the water and we lost connection and his signal went way too far for me to find."

"Was there anything strange about what happened to his signal?" Annie asks from where she sits on the railing, going over the map layout on the laptop. Armin thinks back and then widens his eyes in realization.

"His signal went really fast even though I'm pretty sure there was a dead end." He snaps his fingers. "Oh! What if there was some sort of transportation system around here?"

"Already checking." Annie holds up the laptop. "There's a subway line that goes through here. That it?"

"So he took a fucking subway? What the hell is going on anymore," Jean mutters, rubbing his forehead. Armin opens his mouth to respond and closes it, thinking to himself first. He doesn't like the conclusion he arrives at though, nor will he think that Jean will appreciate what he thinks. Unfortunately, Jean's right in front of his face, looking at him with something unreadable.

"Well? You look like you've figured it out. What do you think?" Although his tone is still snappy, it's softer now. When Armin looks closer, he can see the concern underneath. Armin decides to go ahead with his idea.

"I think it was a plan to lure _Eren_ , even though he'd have no way of discovering Mi - er, my friend was missing. My friend, the one we were investigating, is a mutual acquaintance of ours and the person who laid the trap has to know about our relationships with each other. They'd have to anticipate that I'd look into her disappearance, and then bring Eren along, not someone else, and Eren would be the one to go inside."

Jean actually doesn't blow up as Armin expected him to. Instead, he looks thoughtful and nods. "You're a smart guy Armin. As fucking stupid as you acted this time, and as honestly fucking ridiculous that idea sounds, I don't have anything better than combing the city so I can find the idiot and kill him myself." He calls out to Annie. "Send drones along that subway line and see if there was a train that recently went on those tracks." He turns back to Armin. "So Eren didn't run? You better hope your theory is true."

It's subtle, but Armin can see the apprehension and how secretly worried Jean is despite him snapping at everyone. It only makes Armin feel even worse.

 

 

 

 

"What a beautiful hunt you've brought me tonight."

"Of course. Who do you think I am?" Levi says with a slight smirk, tapping his earpiece. He casually leans on the railing, watching Eren run about, the mechanical hounds closing in on him. "Oh?" He watches Eren leap over a hound to swing his electric baton onto the one behind it. He quickly grabs the battery pack for the radio off of it and dashes off before the other hound recovers. There's a loud blast, but there are still footsteps running. "If he died here, I'd be disappointed."

"This has been most splendid. Truly, this was a magnificent game. I am beyond pleased." There's a roar of laughter in his ear. "I thought society had gotten so boring, but now I finally feel alive again."

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to your game instead?"

"I care not for it anymore. If I kill him here, or if I am killed here, I am already fulfilled. I am but a simple man who couldn't handle the Sibyl System deep down. Aren't you like that too Levi?" Levi doesn't answer. He doesn't need to.

There's a gasp of surprise from his earpiece. "He got my shoulder!"

"Oh? Going to stop then?" Levi responds, almost bored. If the game did stop, then this man's expectations have fallen way too short for someone he considered an old comrade. But he expects the laughter in his earpiece, sounding more joyous as it continues.

"Stop? Who would even stop here? For the first time since getting this mechanical body, I finally feel alive. Is this what I was missing all along? I thought everything was lost when I could no longer taste fine wine with a human tongue." The laughter dies down, becoming short pleased chuckles. "But, now that I've finally regained this feeling, I also remember something from when I was human. I absolutely hate losing. You will not mind if I kill him right?" Levi only smirks, even as the connection goes dead.

"You haven't realized that you're the one being hunted, old friend." Levi gives a small huff before his eyes turn somber. "I'll watch the splendor of your life until the very end, Dot Pixis," he murmurs, raising his right hand to his heart for a final salute.

 

 

 

 

"Eren!" He's on the floor, bleeding heavily but he still manages to open his eyes at Armin's call.

"H-hey..." he calls out weakly, groaning.

"Don't move! You're too hurt!" Armin's so scared, watching Eren struggle despite his injuries.

"Eren, just stay down!" Reiner's next to him, holding him down.

"He's here... Levi... I saw him... he took... Mikasa... Levi... I'm going to kill him..." Eren's pointing in a direction, still resisting, intending to go after them. Armin watches with horror as the blood increases.

"Dammit!" Reiner headbutts him suddenly and Eren lands on the floor with a thud, blinking rapidly. "Sorry, but you need to stay down for your own good." He turns to Armin. "Well? You heard him. Your friend's still in trouble. I'll watch after Eren. Get that damn son of a bitch!" Armin nods before he takes off running, clutching his Dominator tightly.

He arrives at some strange place with lots of metal bridges. He can't see the bottom. It makes him scared, but when he looks up, he sees Mikasa and some strange man walking across a bridge above them.

"Mikasa!" Armin runs to them, holding out his Dominator. "Stop! I'm from the Public Safety Bureau! Drop your weapon and surrender!" Levi only turns to look at him as if he's an insect. Mikasa is bruised, bleeding from a cut on her lip and her hands are handcuffed together. She's bleeding from her head and looks more dazed than pained. Still, she keeps her gaze trained on Armin, her eyes lighting up when she sees him.

Armin is more cautious than ever now. If he can even best _Mikasa_ then he doesn't know what else Levi is capable of. He can't afford to take any chances. He raises his Dominator, his hand on the trigger.

 _Crime Coefficient is 82. Not a target for enforcement action. The trigger will be locked._ Armin blinks, looking at his Dominator.

As if knowing he wouldn't be shot, Levi casually walks to the front of the railing and handcuffs Mikasa to it.

"Hey. You're an Inspector right?" Levi asks, looking at him with a bored expression.

"Levi, you're wanted for multiple crimes! I suggest you put your weapon down and follow me!" Armin responds instead, hoping his voice isn't shaky. Is there something wrong with his Dominator? Levi only takes off the jacket Mikasa has on, taking his time to fold it neatly before putting it on the floor. He also puts the rifle in his hands on the floor carefully. It's as if he's toying with Armin but his expression isn't smug or arrogant. It reminds Armin of... _of Annie._

Levi pulls a switchblade out of his pocket, the sharpness glinting even in the horrible lighting. He examines it, and raises it above Mikasa.

"If you value the life of your friend here, answer some of my questions. I know you're trying to buy time for reinforcements so it'd be in your best interest to humor me." He smiles even when Armin doesn't say anything.

"Tell me, what do you think about the Sibyl system?" He says it simply, as if they're discussing the weather. Armin gapes at him instead.

Levi scowls. "I asked you a question boy. What do you think of the Sibyl system?" Levi waves the knife almost absently. When Armin doesn't answer again, the knife stops moving. He slices Mikasa across the back.

_Crime Coefficient is 56. Not a target for enforcement action. The trigger will be locked._

She grunts from the cut but otherwise shows no other obvious discomfort. Her gaze is still fixed on him. "Mikasa! Stop! What are you doing?!" Armin screams, even though he falls on deaf ears. His hand is shaking. Levi gives him a wry smile.

"Finally, something out of your mouth. So? How will you answer?"

"The Sibyl system... it's..." Armin grips the Dominator tighter, even as it shakes around.

_Crime Coefficient is 35. Not a target for enforcement action. The trigger will be locked._

"You know as well as I do that that useless gun isn't going to kill me. If you really want to kill me, you should use this." Levi throws the rifle over to Armin. It lands with a thud in front of him. Armin doesn't think his eyes can get any wider. "I'll give you a free pass. Kill me, or I will kill this girl."

Armin can't tear his gaze away from the rifle in front of him. It's a weapon, just like the Dominator in his hand. He picks it up, the gun much heavier than he thought it would be. This gun doesn't have the jurisdiction of the Dominator. He knows Levi is someone that needs to be judged, but _why can't the Dominator recognize that?_

He liked to think that if his friends were in danger, he'd do anything to help them. But right now, when he has an answer to the problem in front of him, he's frozen, and if he doesn't do anything, Mikasa will die. The solution is so simple, _but he can't move at all._

Levi gives a rough bark of laughter, sneering at him now. "So you're saying that I'm more important than your friend here? Is that right?" And then he gives a dry laugh. "Is this how the Inspectors of today are? They value the judgment of the Sibyl system over their own to the point where they'd throw away their friends?"

"No -- no! It's... I'm not..." Armin doesn't know what to say. He needs to save Mikasa. _He needs to save Mikasa._ Why, why is it so hard to do then? Levi's going to kill her. Armin has to stop him. It's so simple. Then why is he shaking so much? Why can't he just shoot the Dominator? Why isn't the Sibyl system responding at all?

"You see, that's what this system does. It makes you weak. You think that just because you've got that gun, you're going to solve every problem in this world? Then why would we even need such a concept like Inspectors and Enforcers? Enforcers have to do the shit Inspectors won't so they get to sleep better at night. Enforcers, latent criminals, they're all the same. They both still get treated like shit, even though one of them lives in less shit than the other. Ridiculous."

"Everyone on a team has their own shit to take care of. It's meaningless if only part of a team does their part while the others just sit there and don't even wipe their shit after taking one. You think that's fair?"

Armin doesn't even know what he's talking about. He's still frozen, holding the rifle, aimed at Levi.

"Suddenly, someone gives us this gun that tells us who to shoot and who we can't, even though we can use our own damn eyes to see who needs to be brought down. When did the judgment of humans fall so low beneath that of wild animals?" There's anger in Levi's eyes now. "Then we're labeled and categorized? Put away all the clearly dangerous people, even before they've done anything, what a novel concept! Then, what happens when you end up with someone like _me?_ My Psycho Pass doesn't change even if I do _this._ " He slices Mikasa, trailing his knife from her shoulder to lower back. She cries out in pain this time, her grip on the railing tightening.

_Crime Coefficient is 17. Not a target for enforcement. The trigger will be locked._

"See? That flimsy gun can't judge me. You're the only one with the power in this room. I'm about to do something abominable. I suggest you aim properly and hold that gun right."

Armin hates that he's playing into Levi's hands. But he needs to save Mikasa. She looks like she can't hold out anymore. _Mikasa, for Mikasa, Mikasa_ , he chants in his head. He needs to save her, even though he'd be killing a -- he doesn't even want to say it -- normal citizen and not a latent criminal. He holds the rifle up, taking aim, and fires.

It doesn't even fly past Levi. Armin instinctively turns it upward at the last second, closing his eyes tightly, his hands shaking too intensely. When he opens his eyes, Levi's staring at him with both disappointment and anger.

"Useless. The detectives of today. Utter trash," he mutters. He lifts up Mikasa's head roughly, exposing her throat. He flips the knife in his hands casually.

"No! Don't! Please, no, don't, don't do it, don't..." Armin pleads, falling to his knees. Levi only shrugs, bringing the knife to her throat. Mikasa closes her eyes slowly, as if already resigned to her fate.

"Maybe next time, you'll be able to kill me."

Armin screams. Mikasa's body falls limp.


	3. Chapter 3

Jean takes a deep breath, and pushes open the doors. He walks down the stretching red carpet until he reaches the desk at the end. He tries to ignore how unsettling it is coming into here each time, how wide the space is, and how suffocated he always feels.

"You wanted to see me, Chief?" Jean finally asks when the person at the desk makes no move. The man swings his gaze upward, his deep blue eyes studying him. He smiles politely.

"Ah. Inspector Jean. Just the person I wanted to see." He leans back in his chair, folding his hands together and resting his head above them. Jean feels even more unnerved. "Please, relax. I merely wish to discuss something with you." Jean resists contorting his face into his characteristic scowl. He didn't walk up here to be having a casual conversation with the _Chief_ of all people.

"Tell me, what do you think about Levi?"

"Hah?" The word's out of his mouth before he knows it. The Chief is still smiling at him though. Jean coughs politely into his hand. "Levi..." He frowns. "According to Armin, he's someone the Dominator couldn't judge right?"

"That's correct," the Chief responds immediately. "What do you make of it?"

"Maybe Armin's Dominator wasn't working properly?" _It sure picked a hell of a time to mess up though._

"There is that. Sometimes, there are defectives that we are unable to catch in time. But, suppose Armin's Dominator was working and was still unable to judge Levi. What would you think?"

"I..." Jean isn't sure what the Chief is getting at. And he doesn't like the conclusion he's arrived at. What is the Chief trying to do? Suddenly, the Chief smiles, the expression somehow looking a little _too_ natural.

"That's it. I just wished to have a chat with you, that is all." It takes every ounce of willpower for Jean to not blow up right there. The Chief then nods as if he's remembered something. "Ah. I also have some orders. Tell them to everyone please. If you encounter Levi, _do not kill him._ Capture him alive. Is that clear?"

 

 

 

 

Armin comes into work and sits down at his desk silently. He knows everyone's looking at him, even Annie, but he doesn't care. Eren's not even here. He's been locking himself up even since... Mikasa's...

He takes a deep breath and pushes the scarf up slightly. He makes a note to thank Sasha for leaving it with him, but it will be a long while before he can bring himself to see her.

Finally, he looks up. "Good morning." he says belatedly. He smiles when they nod back at him and then he looks at his desk, blinking. There's a cup of coffee at his desk. From behind his scarf, his smile turns tearful. He feels someone next to him suddenly.

"Hey." Reiner looks down at him, his expression serious. Armin blinks at him. "Wanna swing by later and get a good work-out with me?" the Enforcer asks with a grin.

"I... thank you, but perhaps another time." Armin nods his head respectfully, looking back down at the cup of coffee. He hears a sound of disappointment from Reiner and the large man sits back down, but not before patting him once more.

He takes a sip of the coffee and is lucky the scarf hides his grimace. He isn't too fond of black coffee.

Armin doesn't know how long he sits there doing paperwork but he knows the Enforcers are gone. It's only him and Jean in the office now. The news is playing on the giant screen they have.

_"Earlier this evening, a man wearing a strange helmet was seen attacking a pharmacy. His crime coefficient couldn't be measured--"_

"Huh?" Armin blinks when Jean's in front of him, looking down at him with that frown he always has.

"That's enough. Go home," the other man says roughly.

"But... I still haven't finished my reports."

"I'll handle it!" Jean snaps, a little too harshly. He sighs and softens his tone. "I mean, I'll take care of it. Go home and get some rest." He turns to the TV. "It looks like we might have a big case soon anyway."

"But..." He's surprised when Jean suddenly reaches over and grabs his keyboard.

"Go _home_ , Armin." Jean says stubbornly. Armin's still staring at him though. He scowls. "Don't give me another fucking useless Inspector for a partner again."

 

 

 

 

"You wanted to talk to me?" Armin asks when he gets inside the lab. Hange spins around on her chair and immediately gestures to take a seat next to the table. She goes to a corner of the room for the next five minutes. He doesn't care. He just sits there, staring at the ceiling, his mind inevitably going back to recent events.

"I've heard you met with Levi." Armin dully looks up to see Hange standing over him now with a cup of tea. "Here, a peace offering." When Armin looks at her confusedly, she gives a short laugh. "For what I'm about to say. I used to work with Levi." That grabs Armin's attention and he looks at her incredulously before he becomes angry.

"Then, you know of what he's doing!? And you didn't bother to give up this information - "

"Wait, wait, let me explain at least." Hange cuts in, raising her hands to calm him down. She looks at him earnestly. "Please, while it doesn't excuse his actions whatsoever, I'd like you to understand why Levi is like this today." She looks away with a sad smile, shaking her head. "Even now, I still can't believe it honestly."

"I don't want to sympathize with him," Armin says sharply. "I want to..." _kill him?_ He blinks, calming himself down. As angry as he is, that doesn't sound right at all. What does he want to do with Levi? "I... just need to arrest him." he finishes lamely, sighing loudly. Hange pats his head, as she always does.

"I'm not asking you to." she says simply, taking a seat across from him. She gives a fond look to the table.

"You know, the Sibyl System is only a fairly recent invention," she begins, "but it revolutionized everything. It took a year or so, but once it picked up, it really got going. Soon, everything was under the control of the Sibyl System." Hange takes a sip of her tea.

"All of a sudden, things were being done differently. Everything was... digital, computerized, automatic. It was as if we went to sleep and when we woke up, we were in a vastly different world. Do you know how scared that made us?" She pushes up her glasses, her eyes hiding behind her hand. "I actually hated the Sibyl System, just as Levi did."

"We worked with the system for about a year or so. Did you know Levi used to have his own squad, called the Survey Corps because they were always the first ones there, even with very limited information sometimes, and always managed to get the job done efficiently that they didn't need reinforcements? They were the best we had." She chuckles, losing herself in the memories.

"Everyone was eventually replaced by new people. Slowly, but surely, they were bringing the old administration out, and installing people they could control. The only thing that was familiar to them was this room, my lab. Levi would always complain about the mess and the only thing he was able to even clean right was this table. Petra would make coffee for all of us, even though Auruo hated coffee. Erd and Gunther would make the worst puns and jokes just so Petra could get mad at them."

"It all changed when the top brass finally installed the Sibyl System and we were all forced to undergo cymatic scans. Wanna know our results?" Hange pauses to smile at Armin. Judging by her story, he thinks he can already tell where this is going. "All of us, latent criminals. Except one."

"Levi." Armin finishes for her in a whisper.

"He watched his whole squad, who all worked to protect the peace, be put away just because we were deemed unfit. We were all thrown away by society. Petra allowed herself to be locked up because she couldn't deal with it, along with Auruo. Everyone else escaped. As a last favor, I erased every single record relating to them."

"I was angry, just like them, but after a while, when I thought about it to myself, I realized that it was all futile. I couldn't spend the rest of my life like this. Even though the world changed nearly overnight and tossed me away, I was still given the chance to work here in the lab, although I could never leave. It was exciting, to think that there was something I could still do within this new world order."

Hange stops talking suddenly, swirling the tea around. Her expression turns regretful.

"I thought they all disappeared, but the plastination cases began to come in." She moves her hands to her head, rubbing them as if nursing a headache. "It was... my fault that it took so long for them to find. Even I was horrified at what they were doing. But in all those cases, I could feel their anger, their frustration. Even though it would hurt us, I didn't want to betray them... until..."

"They killed Marco." Hange smiles bitterly.

"I knew they weren't the same anymore. Inspector Jean managed to capture Erd, and I heard Gunther was killed, but Levi got away. But Levi's back now. I won't turn a blind eye anymore. I'll support you as best as I can now." She puts her cup down, finished to the last sip. She looks at Armin, as if studying him for something. Then she grins brightly.

"Armin. Let me tell you something else." Her smile seems to get wider, almost gleefully. "Don't trust everything the Chief tells you."

 

 

 

 

"Hey Armin." Eren says blearily, peeking out at him from the doorway. Armin's not surprised to see the dark bags under his eyes and his raggedly he looks. Armin looked just like him a few weeks ago too.

"Hello Eren. Mind if I come in?" Eren makes a humming sound and looks behind him, a disapproving grunt coming out of him.

"Sure, but it's pretty messy right now. If you don't mind then..." he steps back, opening the door. Armin nods politely and steps through.

Like last time, it's dark, but Armin can make out pieces of destroyed furniture and the wall seems to have dents. He carefully steps over the mess and sits down on a chair.

"Sorry for the mess." Eren apologizes. Armin catches him looking at his scarf before he returns his gaze to Armin's face. "So what brings you here?"

"I wanted to see you Eren." The Enforcer blinks.

"Me? Why would you want to see me after I let Levi -"

"It wasn't your fault Eren!" Armin shouts suddenly, looking down at his hands. He keeps going, unable to hold everything in anymore. "It was all mine! I'm so sorry Eren. He was right in front of me, and he even let me shoot him, and I just... I just... I just stood there! I had the chance and I didn't take it! I'm..." He puts his face into his hands, sobbing quietly. Eren's next to him, rubbing his back.

"Yeah. You had the chance, and you didn't take it." He says. Armin makes a strangled sound. "But you know what? You can't sit here and regret it, not when there's still something for you to do. Mikasa's killer is still out there, and he's running around fucking laughing at us. I'm sad just as you are, but you know what else? I'm also _fucking pissed._ Levi, he's not going to die a clean death anymore. I'll make sure to tear him apart."

"Eren! You can't do that!" Armin protests, although weakly.

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!"

Armin closes his mouth. He has no answer to that. The Sibyl System will not judge Levi. Eren takes a deep breath.

"Look, I know I've been pretty crazy about Levi, and honestly, I know I'm not in the right state of mind, but he's committed so many crimes. And he gets to walk away from them just because the Sibyl System didn't judge him? Where is the justice in that?" Armin stares at him. There's a sudden clarity to Eren now. "I mean sure, I want him to suffer, but if we don't bring him to justice, even outside of the Sibyl System, then what good are we? What the hell do we, as Inspectors and Enforcers, mean if we let such an evil man roam free just because a fucking gun told us no?"

They both sit there silently, with Eren breathing harshly and Armin shuddering as he tries to control his sobs. Armin has no idea what to do. It hurts so much.

 

 

 

 

Connie's room is... both exactly as he imagined it and not at the same time. Other than the colorful wall of video games and other machines on one wall, the Enforcer doesn't have much. Maybe it's a shared Enforcer trait?

"Just on time! I've finished making everything." Connie shouts from further within the room. Now that he mentions is, Armin finally notices the smell of food and his stomach announces how eager he is for food. He hurriedly rubs his stomach in embarrassment and makes his way over to where Connie is setting down the food on the dining table.

"This is pretty good!" Armin compliments as they get to eating, smiling at Connie. The man smirks, his expression entirely smug.

"Of course it is." Armin puts food in his mouth to avoid responding. Connie's still smirking, but it drops a little. "I bet you're thinking that it's surprising like a guy like me can cook right?"

Armin's a little surprised that Connie guessed right that he pauses his eating. Connie smiles wryly even as he takes his own bites.

"Hey, relax. You've been pretty tense after..." Connie fumbles, trying not to say it. "... but no matter how much you concentrate, even you need a break sometime. So, eat! Everything's on me." Connie eagerly picks up several items from the plates he's laid out, eating it with such vigor that Armin's jealous, wondering how he has such energy. He finally allows himself to relax, recognizing Connie's intentions. The food _is_ good.

"My ma always said that eating is what makes people feel better about themselves when they're in a slump." Connie scratches his nose, slightly flustered. "You know, cooking like this it reminds me of my mom." He says, putting his bowl down and scratching his head embarrassedly. "I never really listened to her when I was little. Of course, she'd always give me a good whacking whenever I didn't." He smiles at the memory.  
  
"I was six when I was taken away. I've lived here my whole life. I can't even remember her face clearly anymore. Is she old? Does she have wrinkles? Do I have any little siblings? I don't know." he finishes with a murmur, his expression troubled. He looks up suddenly, thoughtful. "Hey... if you could do me a fa -" He stops suddenly, shakes his head, and smiles sheepishly.  
  
"Nah, forget it. Sorry you had to listen to all of that. I invited you here to make _you_ feel better and I got all weird there." He pushes the plates of food toward Armin. "C'mon, eat up! We've still got the rest of the night to have fun!" Connie resumes eating, asks Armin about the case he's working on, and shares gossip. For the first time in a long time, Armin doesn't think about things like the Sibyl System or Levi, or what needs to be done.

 

 

 

 

"Those helmets of yours... they're doing some good." Levi mutters as he watches the news. The buildings and streets are on fire, anyone crazy enough to walk out on the streets by themselves are attacked, cars overturned, the skies gloomy and overcast, heavy with smoke.

"The smell of fear and blood _has_ been strong these days." Mike says softly as he sits with Levi.

"These helmets look ridiculous though. Can't you do something about it?" Mike frowns, but he shrugs.

"So, tomorrow. You've got the plans and everything right?" Mike nods. "You sure about this? You can still back out."

Mike takes a long breath before he releases it. "Levi, I feel very strongly about this just as much as you do." He stands up, looking out the window. He spreads his hands in front of him. "All of this... it isn't what we wanted. We're already too far ahead to back out now. It would be the greatest shame to our men if we did."

Levi smiles wryly, his eyes looking over the entire town as he stands next to Mike. "Let's play out Erwin's ambitions then."

 

 

 

 

"Who would have thought they'd actually attack the Criminal Investigation Department while we were all out?!" Connie says with a scowl as he kicks an overturned drone. "Seriously, what kind of messed up plan is this?"

"A good one, since we were all drawn out by the riots and violence." Eren answers, looking up at the ceiling. "Levi has to have gone upstairs."

"How do you know that Eren?" Armin looks at him strangely. Eren gives him a sharp glare.

"He has to have! He's taunting me. Whatever he wanted to do here, it wasn't solely to mess us up. He's been targeting me, and I'll take his bait, but I won't get caught in his trap."

Before Armin can answer, he's cut off by Connie. "Alright, so that means I'll take the basement then?" He says casually, waving his Dominator absently, smirking at them. "A genius like me could take them all on. I'll meet you all back up here!" He takes off running, sealing their choice.

Armin looks apprehensively at the elevator. Eren puts a hand on his shoulder, grinning.

"C'mon Armin, let's go. I'll make sure to kill him this time. He won't get away from me, like all those other times." Eren narrows his eyes and Armin can sense that if Eren does not draw Levi's blood here, nothing will ever satisfy him.

Armin wraps the scarf around him tighter.

 

 

 

 

"So you actually managed to make it up here, you dirty runt." Levi slowly walks down the stairs, glaring at Eren. The Enforcer returns it with his own murderous stare. "You certainly live up to your surname."

"Levi! You fucking bastard, I'm going to fucking kill you, right here." Eren growls, clenching his fists. He doesn't care that his leg is bleeding from being shot by a staple gun, or that he was nearly sliced apart by a chainsaw at his torso. His prey is in front of him, and there's no better time than right now to devour it. His expression darkens even more when Levi smirks down at him.

"You have a good look about you. I knew that you would live up to my expectations as a hunter. There are still people like you in this day and age. Hate me, loathe me, burn this hatred deep within yourself."

Eren snarls as he barrels up the stairs. Levi finally allows himself a genuine smile.

 

 

 

 

Armin screams as he charges, helmet gripped tightly in his hands. Levi looks completely surprised -- before the helmet hits him soundly over the head. He crumples like nothing, falling atop of Eren. Armin looks at Eren, who's bleeding from his head and struggling to breathe and stay awake.

"Kill... him..." Eren mutters, still shaking with rage as he looks at the source of all their anguish. Armin raises the helmet again, tears streaming down his face, breathing harshly as he shakes with fury. Mikasa's face flashes in his mind.

_"So please, don't ever think that the decision you make is a mistake."_

Armin slowly lowers his arm and lets the helmet fall with a thud on the floor. With trembling hands, he handcuffs the fallen man. "Levi, you're under arrest," he whispers in a steady voice.

Eren manages to crack a smile.

 

 

 

 

"Holy shit, what the hell is this?" Connie can't believe what he's looking at and he's not even sure if he'll be able to, if he lives to tell the tale. His leg hurts like a bitch and he knows he can't lift his arm higher than his waist.

Mike can't answer him, he's too busy staring at... _whatever_ is in that room as well. Connie can't honestly believe it. It all seems like a dream, and if it is, it's the worst nightmare he's had in a while.

"Is this... really the Sibyl System?" he whispers, dragging his feet to get a closer look at the abomination and utter mess of... he can make out something like brains and weird machines switching them around. It makes him sick. He knows he's not a real genius, and he doesn't understand what he's looking at, but he knows that what he sees here is just... _wrong._

Mike only shakes his head, still gaping. It seems he can't speak at all, still too amazed.

Suddenly, he inhales sharply and turns around, aiming his weapon behind him, firing a shot. Connie watches with horror as Mike explodes, a rain of flesh and blood next to him. He quickly turns his head to look behind him -- and widens his eyes when he sees the Chief. Except half his face is blown off, sparking, revealing an all too familiar light, blue streaks running down his body.

The Chief only moves the Dominator in his hand to point at Connie.

Connie doesn't know why he's not scared when the Dominator switches to Lethal Eliminator mode. In fact, he feels like laughing. He does. It hurts, and he just keeps laughing. He'll explode, and that's it though. It probably won't even hurt. He closes his eyes.

_Hey Ma, I'm sorry for forgetting your face._

Erwin Smith calmly walks out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Levi snaps his eyes open and sits up. Instantly, a wave of nausea hits him and he makes a displeased sound as he rubs his head. Bandages. The last thing he remembers is -- he narrows his eyes. He didn't count on the useless Inspector from last time to get him. Maybe he did learn from his mistake.

"You're awake." Levi hears a startling familiar voice. He sits up, carefully this time, noting his environment looks nothing like the cell he expected, and turns to glare at the man in front of him.

"Erwin." Levi curls his lip downward. "How pleasant to see you."

"You were always like that Levi." Erwin chuckles, leaning back against his chair.

"Then? Why haven't I been killed yet?" Levi leans back against the bed, arms folded. He's not even chained up.

"Because you're someone we need." Levi nearly falls off the bed in shock. He stares up at Erwin in disbelief.

"... what?" he whispers harshly. "Erwin, what the --" He notices it then, the slight shimmer of metallic blue behind even Erwin's own blue eyes.

"The Sibyl System is me, and I am the Sibyl System. You're someone that couldn't be judged, one of the criminally asymptomatic. I come here, on behalf of the whole SIbyl System, to ask you to join us." Erwin says with no hint of humor in his words. But he still has that damn smirk on. It's only a small twitch of his lips, but Levi's learned to recognize it and read it.

"... are you out of your mind?" Levi finally says, regaining his bearings. Erwin still looks at him, dead serious. He takes a deep breath. He needs to calm himself down, resist their provocations. "Erwin, are you telling me to join the Sibyl System that caused the death of all my -- no, _our_ comrades?"

"Our comrades." Erwin murmurs softly, closing his eyes. When he opens them, they're shining even brighter with the hue of the Sibyl System. "Mike is dead."

Levi impressively keeps his face passive as he stares back. "You killed him."

"I did."

"... was that your plan?" Levi asks carefully, glancing at the book on the table next to his bed. He has to try not to look surprised. It's Hange's favorite book, almost conveniently placed on the table.

"Do not worry Levi. Our entire plan is coming to fruition. Now... the final piece that we're missing is you." Erwin stands up. It's Levi's cue.

He grabs the book from the stand and tosses it in Erwin's face. Erwin gasps, the sound eerily inhuman. Levi grabs the machine next to the bed next, and smashes it into Erwin's face. The man-machine goes down right away, one of his eyes twitching and the other staring straight at him. Levi grabs one of Erwin's legs and twists sharply, pulling on it until he hears the crackle of the machine. Erwin still makes no move to stop him, looking at him with that damn _smirk_. Levi gives him a good kick before he dashes off to escape.

Erwin was still the best commander he ever followed.

 

 

 

Jean's standing outside on the balcony, his hands on the railing as he leans out to look at the city. He trails his eyes at the huge, towering buildings that seem to challenge the sky, and then at the horrible destruction that litter the streets ever since the riots. Shattered glass, overturned cars, the fires that haven't been put out yet, streets black with explosions from crude bombs, and even some brave souls, or the truly desperate, scavenging around. To think that last week, none of this chaos existed then.

"Jean? Didn't think I'd find you out here." The Inspector doesn't even bother turning around, even as Reiner comes to stand next to him. "It's all horrible isn't it?"

"Just because one fucking man wanted to wreak havoc." Jean mutters disgustedly, shaking his head.

"There's always going to be someone who hates the whole system."

"But it doesn't justify causing all this damage! And then he escapes! The fuck bullshit is this?" Jean says through gritted teeth, hiding his face behind his arms.

"Then we just have to clean up this mess."

"How many fucking messes do we have to clean? We have so much shit on our hands that I'm surprised we're still able to get anything done at all. Connie's missing, Levi broke out, and now Eren's run away to chase after Levi. Just what the hell are we doing?"

"Is this the Jean I know?" Reiner asks, with only a hint of sarcasm.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jean glowers at the other man. Reiner leans out with one arm, looking sideways out toward the street.

"The old Jean would have already been out on the streets, looking for any of the missing three, pushing us to the brink. But you're standing here, wondering what you're -- no, _we're_ \-- doing. Sure, you'd grumble about your orders, but you always obeyed them."

"... was I always like that?" Jean lowers his gaze back to his hands, shivering despite the hot air.

"Only after Marco died."

Jean doesn't look at Reiner, only burying his face deeper within his arms. Even now, whenever he thinks about Marco, he thinks about how unfair it was, and still is, with Levi free and still under orders to be captured and not killed. He wishes he was as simple as Eren, to be able to throw away everything to chase after the man who killed his partner. But he can't, because he knows he still has so many responsibilities to hold, and he would never forgive himself if he did that.

"Reiner... can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you let yourself become an Enforcer?"

Reiner narrows his eyes. "What do you mean?" Jean laughs brokenly.

"Reiner, you're a pretty stable guy you know. You always know what you need to do. You're the person who'd tell everyone to focus on the job but you'd help out the weakest person. Marco's death wouldn't have pushed you over the edge like it did for Eren because you'd know it'd only hinder you. So why? Why did you let yourself fall?"

"Is that really what you think about me?" Reiner sounds slightly insulted, although he chuckles. "I did huh?" Reiner takes a deep breath and looks outward. "I'm not really the kind of guy you think I am."

"Oh?" Jean only looks at him with a sideways glance, humoring the other man. Reiner crosses his arms and looks upward.

"Yep. Deep down, I'm really just a scared guy who signed up to prove something to himself. Marco's death only made me realize how much I was pretending." Reiner looks at him sadly before he looks down at his hand, making a fist.

"I used to have... someone I was really close to. One day his Psycho Pass turned cloudy. But he... didn't go check it out. I didn't know about it at all. I should have realized when he began to lock himself up at home, not even bothering to go out." Reiner smiles brokenly. "One day... he just went crazy. He kept insisting that we were soldiers and we had to carry out our mission no matter what." Reiner begins to mutter to himself, no longer speaking to Jean, lost in his memories.

"I was fucking terrified. Bertl never talked like that before. But you know what I was really scared of? I was scared that he was going to affect _me_. I didn't want to be locked up in a cell for the rest of my life just because my friend went crazy and I was next to him. I was so angry at him because I thought he was ruining both of our lives. I wanted to kill him."

"Marco died, and for some reason, it made me remember him. It made me remember how he kept saying we had to go back home, go back home. I don't know what he was talking about, but remembering that... and Bertl... then seeing Marco like that... I think that was when I lost it." Reiner slams the railing with his fist. "I thought all latent criminals were insane, that they were crazy and needed to be locked up, no matter what. That was what I thought when I saw Bertl too. I thought he was insane just like everyone, and how horrible he was for not turning himself in." Reiner laughs brokenly.

"And then I became one. All I could think about were all the things that would become robbed from me, how... unfair it was. Ironic isn't it? Was this how Bertl felt?" He buries his head into his hand, muttering to himself. "I couldn't save Bertl back then, and I couldn't save Marco, and I'm sure Connie's dead. What the hell have I been doing?"

Jean doesn't answer him, doesn't know what to say. All he does is put a hand on Reiner's shoulder, squeezing it softly. "I'm... not mad, alright maybe I am. You and Eren did leave me hanging dry to finish the job. But," he turns his head sharply to look at Reiner, "all of those weren't your fault, and you're a better guy than you think you are, Reiner." He pats him one more time and leaves, rubbing his bloodshot eyes.

 

 

 

Armin doesn't think his eyes can get any wider. "What... what is this?" he asks uselessly, gaping at the scene before him.

A giant network of brains, some sort of strange liquid that he doesn't want to know, machines, constant shifting, switching brains -- he feels sick to his stomach. Erwin turns around to regard him slowly, his eyes illuminated by a blue glow that was once an irrefutable part of Armin's life. Now, he can't but feel disgusted every time he sees it.

"The Sibyl System." Erwin answers easily, as if they're discussing normal matters. "Everything you see before you is what makes up the Sibyl System. Including me."

"W... why are you showing this to me?"

"Because I believe that you are someone that will understand." Erwin says, but for some reason, Armin feels that it isn't exactly _Erwin_ speaking. The Chief smiles, a small twitch in one corner and spreads his hands out. "Every single one of these brains are what make up the Sibyl System. They were also people who once lived, and now seek to guide humanity to a life of prosperity. We are the judgers of humanity."

Armin wishes he could wash his ears out. Everything he hears... it all seems like a huge prank. "Are you... kidding around with me right now? Right here... what we're looking at... is what decides a human's worth?" Armin grips the Dominator in his hand with a seething anger he didn't know existed. "What kind of system is that?! This is... this isn't even something that should exist! How can you expect to be the judgers of your own race?! You couldn't even judge Levi!"

"As with any system, there are of course bound to be abnormals and irregularities. Our benefit is that we can adapt. We are able to take countermeasures when these abnormals arise. We cannot trust those to pass judgment fairly to those who fall within the realms of the system so instead we rely on those who deviate from it, those who are able to see the flaws and make the proper changes to the system."

Armin stares at Erwin in horror, finally realizing what the Sibyl System is getting at. "You're all just like Levi. You couldn't be judged by the system. You all agreed to become part of the Sibyl System. You're all... evil."

"Evil? With such a system like this, we must redefine the terms 'good' and 'evil'. Levi was not the worst a criminally asymptomatic could do. We all had different personalities, and some of us have done much more cruel than Levi, but we are now able to work together to maintain such a society that places such a high value on our judgment. With such a system, the will of the operator cannot be questioned when it provides results that cannot be invalidated."

"That's the reason... why Mikasa..." He reaches up instinctively to grip his scarf, his eyes glaring. He's getting too worked up. He needs to calm down and think about this. "And... Connie as well. He found out, and you killed him to protect your secret."

"Connie's potential benefits did not outweigh any of the risks he would have created when he revealed the Sibyl System. The decision was clear."

"Then what about me?! I could go out and reveal this whole farce right now!" Armin shouts, clenching his fists tightly. Erwin regards him with a small smirk.

"You could... but you will not, because you recognize that this system is needed." Erwin blinks. He no longer has that machine-like glow to him. It makes him look even more formidable. "You are just like me, Armin Arlert. You know the Sibyl System is needed and even though we are not infallible, it _has_ provided our society prosperity guaranteed like no other. You may acknowledge its flaws just as you see its benefits, which outweigh you telling the world about the Sibyl System." Erwin turns around behind him, looking at the horrible... system. The Chief turns back to Armin with a small smile, spreading his arms out. His body crackles with the hum of the machine underneath, giving him a blue hue.

"Your orders are to capture Levi. He is needed to further better our system. If you kill him, we will have you executed."

 

 

 

It's unnerving walking through an empty factory that hasn't seen the touch of humans in years, except for the occasional check and maintenance. The halls are dusty and so eerily quiet that Armin can hear their breathing echo off the walls. It's especially more when Annie is his own companion. It isn't that Armin trusts her. She's saved his life more than a few times already, but he still feels there's something about her that he's missing.

"To be honest, I don't think we'll run into Levi." Armin says, almost idly. He can feel Annie staring at him. He hears her shrug.

"Who knows." She doesn't say anything more, but she looks thoughtful. "Why are you trying so hard?"

"I... what?" He says dumbly. Annie gives him a sharp look. "Why... am I trying to stop Levi? Because it's the right thing to do, isn't it?"

"Is it? He's trying to destroy the whole Sibyl System. Are you stopping him because you want to stop _Levi_ , or because you don't want to see him topple society?"

Armin mulls over her words, his hand tightening on the Dominator. "I think... that while the Sibyl System definitely has its flaws, we cannot deny the ultimate benefits it has provided for us. If we were to suddenly destroy that... I don't know how society would recover after being so drastically changed again. This is the only thing I can do to stop that."

"The Sibyl system huh..." Her voice trails off. "Truthfully, I don't care if we have the system or not. It doesn't bother me."

"Really? I mean --"

"You're going to ask _me_ that, Inspector?" Annie responds with a smirk. "Not all of us get to be lucky and keep a clear Psycho Pass all the time."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything out of it." Annie regards him for a moment before she shrugs.

"Being an Enforcer is beneficial to me anyway." Armin's about to ask her what she means but he remembers her then, of how vicious and _overjoyed_ her eyes looked, even much more than Eren's, when they were in the heat of battle. He gulps slightly. "I don't want to catch criminals at all. I just become an Enforcer to fulfill my own selfish desires," she murmurs. Armin didn't think he would ever hear Annie sounding... disgusted, especially at herself.

"It... isn't a bad thing. It's either be an Enforcer or stay locked up in the facility."

"Is it? Should someone like me really be allowed to be an Enforcer?" They've stopped walking. Annie's looking at him with a careful tilt of her head. Armin frowns, shaking his head.

"To be honest, that's like asking if I'm allowed to be an Inspector." He replies with a small smile. "Sometimes, we're just stuck doing things we don't agree with. As we can see, even the Sibyl System has flaws, but I don't think it made a mistake in asking you to be an Enforcer." Annie blinks, raising her eyebrows at him. "You might look like you don't care, and you only really like fighting, but I believe that deep down, you're just like the rest of us, Jean, Eren, Reiner, Connie, everyone." He gives her a sheepish smile. She looks at him as if she's gone insane. She takes a deep sigh, shaking her head.

"... Armin," she says, her tone soft, as she stands next to him, staring into his eyes, "try not to die." When Armin finally recovers himself, she looks the same disinterested self that she always is, standing as if awaiting orders.

"Thank you, Annie." He pauses, remembering something. "Oh, for future reference... I don't like my coffee black." Armin has to tug his scarf to hide his smile as he passes Annie's suddenly frozen body.

 

 

 

Jean and Reiner warily creep through the empty warehouse, eyes constantly scanning for any danger. They can hear footsteps echoing but they don't know if it's Levi or Eren running about. It makes the both of them all the more cautious.

"Jeez, can't wait to be done so I can just get a hard drink after," Jean mutters, irritated. Reiner only flashes him a brief smile. He makes a turn, diverting his path from the Enforcer's. "Hey Reiner, you wanna --"

"Jean watch out!" It's too late. All Jean is aware of is that he hears an explosion and suddenly he's pulled forward to the floor, some large pressure on his arm. When he turns his head, he sees a crate on top of it -- and then it hits him. He screams in pain, futilely struggling. However, even through the haze of pain, he catches something.

"Behind you Reiner!"

The Enforcer turns just in time to avoid the gunshot. Levi tries to aim again but Reiner immediately tackles him. With a much bigger body, Reiner brings him down with no problem, but Levi is continuously struggling, even as Reiner has him in a chokehold. Levi is much more muscular than he looks and although it's slow, he's managing to overpower Reiner.

"Reiner! Don't you dare let him go! That's Marco's killer!" Jean screams through the pain, pulling his arm slowly and painfully. As if spurred by the Inspector's words, Reiner pushes harder. Levi, seeing that he has no other choice, reaches inside his coat to pull out an explosive.

"Whatever choice you make here, don't regret it." It's all Levi needs to say. He desperately tosses it toward Jean's horrified face. Reiner grits his teeth as his grip tightens.

Reiner howls with rage as he tosses Levi aside and scrambles for the explosive. He manages to grab it and makes to run off with it -- he drops it. It explodes before it even hits the floor.

"Reiner! Fuck, _Reiner!"_ Jean sobs, tugging on his arm with a strength he didn't know he had, even as he feels everything tearing in it. He doesn't care, he needs to get to Reiner. Finally, with a sickening crack and squelch, he's next to the Enforcer, his arm dangling uselessly.

When the smoke clears, Reiner's laying on the floor in a puddle of his blood, bleeding from waist down. Both of his thighs are charred, bleeding profusely, along with his side. "No, no nonono, not again, not again _please_ ," Jean pleads, even though he knows there's nothing he can do. "Why would you do that?! You're such a fucking idiot!" He grabs Reiner's hand, holding it tightly as if he could will life into it. _Please, no, don't, not Reiner, Marco if you're --_ Reiner only gives him a final smile and his hand falls limp.

Eren runs by, about to shout Jean's name when Jean looks up at him, tears streaming down his anguished face. When he turns his gaze down, he freezes, his blood turning cold, catching Reiner's lifeless body smiling at nothing. He can't do this right now. It isn't the time, not when Levi is so close. Eren runs off, a burning haze in his mind as he chants only one name over in his thoughts.

 

 

 

"Shit, Armin you alright?!" Armin blinks up at Eren's worried face. What was he... doing? He widens his eyes.

"Levi!" He moves to get up, or at least he tries to. His body refuses to move. He feels like he ran into a wall. He doesn't even want to know how far he rolled after the truck crashed. "Le... Levi." He doesn't know where his Dominator is. Frankly, he doesn't care.

"I'll get him. He's in pretty bad shape too. You stay here." Eren makes to run off before Armin pulls on his sleeve.

"Eren." He turns around slowly, as if already expectant. He looks the same as Armin used to remember him.

"Yeah Armin?"

Armin smiles at him for one last time. He knows he can't stop Eren, nor does he want to. Even if it's not right to kill him, he could never forgive Levi. He knows what's going to happen after, and he feels guilty for condemning his friend to a fate, but he's sure they both think it's worth it. "Take care." Eren softens his face for the first time since Mikasa died. He grabs a hold of Armin's hand, gripping it firmly.

"Yeah." He doesn't need to say anything else. His eyes are always the most expressive part of him. Then he's gone, off to hunt his prey for the last time.

Armin lays back, staring up at the evening sky. When they arrived, it was barely morning. Did they really spend that much time inside? He hopes Annie won't be too mad when she sees them, having missed out on most of the action. She would have been really helpful then.

There's a cool breeze right now. It feels nice, even if his head hurts like someone's continuously hitting him with a hammer. He closes his eyes, listening to the wind, stretching his fingers. He opens his eyes when he hears a faint gunshot in the distance.

_"This world is cruel, and beautiful at the same time."_

It's getting chilly now so he tugs his scarf to wrap around him tighter. It's been a while since he was able to look up at the sky freely like this. He smiles as widely as he can, even as tears fall from his face.

Armin stays like that until the others find him.

 

 

 

"Hey, you fu -- idiots." Jean says as he crouches down in front of the gravestone. He brushes a hand against the name. Marco Bodt. He smiles wryly, placing a flower down before he moves to the next grave. He places another flower down. "Here Reiner, another flower for your collection." He raises his other hand to the gravestone instead, brushing against it even though he can't feel it with his mechanical hand. He stays there for a few minutes before he leaves. Armin's standing outside of the car, looking up at the sky.

"You're done?" Armin asks once Jean's close enough. The Enforcer nods his head.

"Yeah. Sorry for making such a selfish request." Armin shakes his head.

"No, of course not. It's my duty to accompany Enforcers who go outside anyway." Armin says with a smile. Jean laughs and gets inside the car.

"No new cases in a while huh?" Jean asks, looking out the window to watch the buildings past them by.

"Not anything pressing anyway. Everything's all calmed down since... that day." They're both silent, with only the hum of the car breaking the silence.

"Hey Jean, where do you think Eren is?"

"Hell if I know, or care." Jean mutters, leaning against his chair and closes his eyes. "For all I know, he could probably be watching us and laughing his ass off for being stuck back in this position."

"No... Eren wouldn't do that." Armin defends, an automatic response, although he can't help the chuckle.

"Well, he got a hell of a better deal than all of us, even if he's on the run. Bastard gets to run free and I'm stuck doing the rest of his paperwork. Typical Eren." Jean grumbles half-heartedly. They both lapse into another silence, although more comfortable this time.

"We don't have any new cases right?" Armin asks suddenly, glancing at Jean from the mirror.

"Hah? Thought you said we didn't. What, we got something new?"

"No..." Armin taps the steering wheel, swallowing as he looks at Jean. "Um..."

"What? The hell's wrong with you?"

"Let's take a small detour then." Armin suddenly says, turning the wheel to exit the freeway.

"Huh?" Jean gives him an incredulous look. Armin gives him a piece of paper. "What's this? An address?"

"Yeah. It's..." Armin tugs on his scarf sheepishly. "It's where Connie's mom lives. I thought I'd like to go down to visit her."

 

 

 

Armin stands patiently under the canopy, watching the raindrops, tapping his Dominator absently. The gun gives a silent hum against his leg. Hange's chirping through his headset, giving him status updates on the situation.

He hears there's a new Enforcer today, to ease up on the loss of two Enforcers. He hasn't been able to meet her yet, but he knows Jean has. Jean has nothing good to say about her, other than Armin catching him muttering under his breath that she looks like Marco's devil cousin. Armin hopes that at least they'll all survive today.

There's a sudden thud of footsteps behind him. Armin turns around, trying to look scolding but he knows he doesn't quite look as scary as Jean. "You're the new Inspector right?" He blinks.

"Y - yes!" She salutes, her back straight and Armin thinks... well, she's small.

"I'm Christa Renz! Starting today, I'm a new Inspector!"

"Please try to make it in a more timely manner. We're the only ones that stop these cases from blowing over." She hesitantly nods and lowers her eyes shamefully. Armin coughs politely into his hand. She looks back up, staring straight into his eyes, her own full of determination as she salutes again. He can't help his smile.

"Use that enthusiasm to solve this case quickly and efficiently." Armin holds his hand out. "I'm Armin Arlert."


End file.
